Thursday, March 25, 2010

Steps

1

Use a paper filter as a pattern. Place one edge along a folded piece of pre-washed natural 100% cotton muslin (avoid bleached or dyed materials). Add an extra 1" along the top edge if you want a finished edge.

Sew a hem along the top edge of the open fabric (if desired). It works fine without one, but looks more finished this way.

3

Fold your filter in half again on the fold line. Put the right sides together if you've done a hem. If no hem, it doesn't matter which side is out. Sew along the two open edge seams.

4

Now you have a new 100% reusable coffee filter! This coffee filter will prevent grounds (and cloudiness) in your coffee, it will taste great, and is easy to rinse out. It stays put in the coffee maker and you will have no waste aftercomposting the grounds. If you'd like an even more finished look, you could add seam binding to the top.

5

Use the finished side IN so that the coffee grounds don't get stuck in the seam. Here's one after a few week's use (notice the un-finished edge still is working fine, just not as pretty!). Just rinse out, and lay out to dry. It dries very quickly and is ready to use again the next day, however having two is probably better so you can rotate them. Since it's cotton, you can also machine wash and dry it if you want to.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I just added this badge at the Bloggers Unite page for the International Day in memory of SSRI fatalities. I also put the video "Antidepressants Exposed" because the psychiatry David Healy and the trial lawyer Andy Vickery explain important aspects.I hope that those who are already using the old badge - the horror, the horror! :) - like this one and maybe with a better badge the event can be promoted since it's important to have a nice picture.I'm still not happy with this and will try to make others. Please, tell me what do you think about this one. It is difficult to judge it by ourselves.If you have any other resource that you consider important please tell me.Thank you!

"Sexual side effects occurring in response to taking antidepressant medications are more common than previously reported and may not always resolve once the medication has been discontinued. Informed consent regarding the use of these medications is most effectively accomplished when all professionals responsible for a patients care are educated about these side effects and work collaboratively to educate patients, thus increasing their ability to make an informed choice. The frequency with which the medications are prescribed, the evidence that sexual side effects have been underestimated, and the deleterious effects that such medication side effects may have on treatment and patient functioning make it imperative that psychologists educate themselves in order to best help those whom they serve. This entails a necessary expansion of psychologists knowledge base and scope of practice. Current efforts at informed consent are most likely inadequate, particularly for the treatment of children and adolescents, and leave a void that psychologists, given our often more frequent contact with patients, are particularly suited to fill."1"

At the video he claims:

"These effects have been used by medical scientists. these drugs have been promoted in same cases as treatment for premature ejaculation. Martin Kafka, a Harvard psychiatrist, has promoted the use of these drugs to reduce sexual impulsivity in sexual offenders."

It is very strange that this "treatment" is being used since 1996 and psychiatrists are still denying that SSRI do cause sexual problems or claiming that "I never heard about that in my clinical experience" is so common. This is not a recent finding.

As I said at the post:

I've stressed "deviant sexual thoughts and fantasies" because it's widely reported on SSRI-sex Yahoo group people claiming that their normal sexual fantasies and thoughts have been altered or disappeared.Claiming that "SSRIs may help alter a dysfunctional serotonergic system" is not a good explanation. Why on earth people who have conventional sexual fantasies are also affected when they take SSRIs?It's written here:"Since serotonine affects sexual appetite,..." and this is what really happens along with changes in sexual thoughts and fantasies which should be investigated because normal people are having sexual problems such as anorgasmia, lost of libido, lack of sexual thoughts and fantasies even after years off SSRIs.It should be considered as a serious iatrogenic condition and not praised because it can fix paraphilias.

There are many videos at Youtube about SSRIs and I believe that most of those who are blogging about psych-drugs crimes already saw this one.

But many people who are still unaware of the extent of the problem didn't.

The psychiatrist David Healy and the trial lawyer Andy Vickery produce the evidences that Eli-Lilly, Pfizer and GSK, as well as regulators, are quite aware of suicides and homicides induced by Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil/Seroxat/Aropax but are experts in concealing the truth.

Monday, March 15, 2010

They are still recruiting and when I first published I forgot to stress that Prozac is also part of the clinical trial.

It is Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Prozac (fluoxetine).

"You can read here the government recruiting children aged 7 to 17 years old. No healthy volunteers accepted this time. If anything happens they can blame it on the disease because although the UK Parliament has already recognized drug-induced suicidal ideation nothing was done. Two of the exclusion criteria for this clinical trial:

Children of site personnel directly affiliated with this study and/or their immediate families.

Children of Lilly employees or employees of the designated CRO assisting with the conduct of the study.

At least they care about the life of their own children and the children of their employees.Extracts from the government page:

A Study in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder

Outpatient, diagnosed with MDD as defined by the DSM-IV-TR and supported by the MINI-KID.

Diagnosis of moderate or greater severity of MDD as determined by CDRS-R with a total score greater than or equal to 40 at screen, and randomization and a CGI-Severity rating of greater than or equal to 4 at screen, and randomization.

Female patients must test negative for pregnancy during screening.

Judged to be reliable by the investigator to keep all appointments for clinical visits, tests, and procedures required by the protocol.

Has a degree of understanding such that they can communicate intelligently with the investigator and study coordinator.

Capable of swallowing study drug whole. It is anticipated the patients will need to swallow up to 6 capsules per day.

Patients must have venous access sufficient to allow blood sampling and are compliant with blood draws as per the protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

Children of site personnel directly affiliated with this study and/or their immediate families.

Children of Lilly employees or employees of the designated CRO assisting with the conduct of the study.

"There is Vioxx and Celebrex, I know, I know but I don't know about any other.I just came across with the site CenterWatch "recognized by many of the top media outlets and publications around the world as a leading source of information on the clinical trials industry."I was searching for the 4th phase of clinical trials and this site was at the first page. That's how they explain the 4th phase:

"Phase IV studies, often called Post Marketing Surveillance Trials, are conducted after a drug or device has been approved for consumer sale. Pharmaceutical companies have several objectives at this stage: (1) to compare a drug with other drugs already in the market; (2) to monitor a drug's long-term effectiveness and impact on a patient's quality of life; and (3) to determine the cost-effectiveness of a drug therapy relative to other traditional and new therapies. Phase IV studies can result in a drug or device being taken off the market or restrictions of use could be placed on the product depending on the findings in the study."

Taken from the market? If anybody knows of a drug that was taken from the market because FDA studied it and came to the conclusion that it's not a good drug please let me know.

According to this same site:

"If a drug is approved, pharmaceutical companies may continue to conduct studies that compare the new drug—in terms of its safety, effectiveness, and cost—to other drugs already on the market or assess a drug's long-term effectiveness and its impact on the quality of a person's life."

If anybody knows about any site where I can find FDA real surveillance I would also like to know.

"‘Evergreening’ is the term used to describe the process by which the innovator patents trivial modifications of already-existing drugs which, in turn, extends their monopolies beyond the 20-year period granted for the original patent. It is a common practice in the pharmaceutical industry."

FDA and other countries regulatory agencies seems to be much more concerned in keeping the same drugs at the market. I will never understand how a drug that has killed during clinical trial, Cymbalta, is at the market.Tracy Johnson hanging herself at Eli-Lilly's facilities during Cymbalta clinical trials was not enough or perhaps just an anecdotal evidence and not a scientific data.

Update:*It's still at the market! There is a good article at USA Today about how the Vioxx case:

"Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says the FDA was worse than passive. Investigators for the Senate Finance Committee, which Grassley chairs, met Thursday with FDA researcher David Graham, lead scientist on a study presented in August at a medical meeting in France."

"Graham told the finance committee investigators that the FDA was trying to block publication of his findings, Grassley said in a statement. "Dr. Graham described an environment where he was 'ostracized,' 'subjected to veiled threats' and 'intimidation,' " Grassley said. Graham gave Grassley copies of e-mail that appear to support his claims that his superiors suggested watering down his conclusions."

Friday, March 12, 2010

I just found the Medical Tourism site and I'm still trying to understand what medical tourism is all about. Yes, I did read Wikipedia. It seems that for some citizens in US having some procedures in other countries is less expensive.

I can understand that but just take a look at this article:

Mental Well-Being - A discovery into the mind

It’s amazing how the world around us is in constant change, from a cultural point of view to an environmental perspective. It’s even more interesting how mankind reacts to its surroundings in different ways, each time with gradually increasing mental and physical consequences including diseases to all kinds of stress-related affections. What I am talking about is psychosomatic conditions that may look completely normal, but upon further review cannot be treated with pills or conventional medicine.

When this happens, it is often difficult to find the right doctor to heal your illness, especially when it is not meant to be resolved or treated by medication in the first place. It seems as though doctors are on prescription overload and are writing prescriptions left and right without bothering to thoroughly examine the patient. In fact, doctors aren’t even listening to what the patient is telling them; they are simply too busy these days to give individual care. Quick exams will suggest there is nothing wrong with the patient, and yet the patient continues to feel the same symptoms and does not know why or how this is possible.

Diagnosing Mental Illness

Hereby, the terms of “mental illness” and “mental fitness” play a very important role.Questions arise such as: Why is it hard to understand what happens to us? Why, even when you think you are mentally fit, does it become so hard to fall asleep? You lay there and think of all the things on your to-do list and your mind just keeps on spinning. There is not a start and stop point in the day; everything starts running together. These are common issues mankind eternally faces.

In most cases, considering the hectic world we live in, people no longer have time for themselves other than business or money-related matters. Therefore over the years, the cost of ignoring our mental health, which is often disguised as a physical problem requiring pills and prescriptions, is that we are not paying attention to the actual cause. Often times, illness starts in the mind and travels and manifests itself in physical ways, producing an outwardly ill individual. The symptoms are treated rather than the causes.

Nowadays people are not only traveling overseas for medical care, they are traveling more and more for mental & physical wellness, and simply to relax. They are, in essence, enjoying life for a moment, out of their predictable routine.

In 1926, Ernest Holmes wrote “The Science of Mind”; the title speaks for itself, and the author’s philosophy was that we create our own reality. Several other authors have based their writings on the paradigm of the mind; the enigma behind our subconscious mind, including the importance of thoughts and the power of suggestion. Once someone feels acts and thinks sick, this tends to exacerbate their condition. As we delve deeper in these waters we realize it is more complex than it seems and the hidden, the repressed, the “forgotten”, comes to affect our daily lives. As time goes by, a chain of events occur related let’s say to a depression that has been chronic and unsuccessfully treated. This depression can be treated with drugs, but after some time, the pills are not doing this individual any good; in fact they are just helping him go through life, confused and in pain, but at least going through the motions. This is a very common clinical case often treated with the same medicine, no matter how different the cases may be. The truth is, no matter how similar depression may present itself in different people, each and every case is unique with different causes and different solutions.

Individuals Require Individual Care

One case in particular involved an individual with a Major Depressive Disorder, with a markedly diminished interest in life in general, a serious loss of energy, insomnia, feelings of worthlessness with inappropriate guilt, and almost all of the symptoms provided by the American Psychiatric Association for the DSM-IV. Her previous treatments were always related to anti-depressives and drugs, and never treated from a psychological point of view. Besides that, there was no parallel treatment focused on therapy, decoding the past of this person or attempting to identify the root of these symptoms.

After seven local psychiatrists medicated her with very similar medicines, her depression was actually getting worse over time. She decided to start a different therapy, and after approximately 10 sessions, after it was discovered that the root cause was something she had experienced when she was less than five. She had been sexually abused, and the details are difficult to hear. As is the case with many sexually abused children, she lived in fear and had never told anyone about this. More than likely, she felt shame and guilt and had repressed the memories herself. Upon discovering this was the cause, she was treated with therapy sessions, and her doctor slowly weaned her off the medication until she was completely medication free. (emphasis mine)

The main point is that it can be difficult to pair up with the right doctor these days. Plus, we live in constant change, and the medical practices around the world are so innovative now, that it is common for one technique to get replaced by a quicker and more effective procedure.

Therefore, as the medical tourism industry grows, so does the health tourism industry, gaining in popularity as preventative medicine is embraced by doctors and individuals alike. More and more, people are achieving mental fitness and mental well-being, through alternative therapies.

The Cure of the Future

It is interesting to look forward and think of all that is going to be different. Perhaps the future holds a very different outcome in medical tourism than we even imagine, but one thing is for sure: it is necessary to understand that times are desperately demanding a change in conscience. The healthcare crisis that begs for a relief that medical tourism may be able to provide. How many people have had life-saving experiences through medical tourism? How many people have received the medical treatment they needed for a fraction of the price? And with a nice vacation in a tropical country alongside their medical treatments or procedures, it is easy to argue the value of medical tourism.

Exigent circumstances demand urgent and positive solutions, and with the global economic recession we have faced, increasing number of people are finding their answers abroad, having exhausted possibilities in their own country. They have decided to look elsewhere due to the weak economic reality of several countries and their own economic difficulties, including termination of health insurance, loss of jobs and inability to pay for individual health insurance. These people are joining the ranks of others called medical tourists and are happy to go abroad for medical treatment.

Also, another similar yet different concept has developed, called health tourism, as mentioned earlier in the article. Cosmetic surgery, anti-aging surgery and general health and wellness procedures comprise this industry, among others. As more companies start to develop their international profile and gain more exposure, we will also witness people leaving home for psychological therapy, counseling, yoga and spa retreats. In fact, they are being termed destination vacations and tend to be complete with a spa package, including food, drink, room and spa treatments. (emphasis mine)

About the Author

Lic. Michael Quiros is Director of Membership for Latin America and operates out of the San Jose, Costa Rica Office of the Medical Tourism Association. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology and his role in the MTA includes recruitment, coordination and retention support for members in the Latin America Region. Michael may be reached atmichael@medicaltourismassociation.com

I have been in therapy for twenty year. I know very well that this is not how therapy works.

Some people think that talking therapy is like that: you go to the sessions to find one and only one event in your life that did you harm and... magic... you are HEALED.

I'm sorry, It's not like this for anybody. If this person remembered that she has been abused surely, I can say surely this is not the answer. This person would have a lot to work and endure the pain of being abused.

I could send you all to two or three bloggers that are struggling with it but maybe just taking a look at Child Abuse Survivors is enough.

I'm very sorry but I would love to hear this person that was healed. Although my therapy is over and I did work the main issues that send me there I still consider myself as being neurotic and I have not a single problem with this label. Most people are but psychiatry took this label from DSM because there is no medicine for neurosis.

I just wanted to comment here, that I too remember dearest Tracy. I was all too close to her this very night that she passed and my prayers continue for her family that survived her passing. Now 6 years later and my heart still bleeds a bit as we pass by this season of life again and mourn her loss.

I knew Traci. What a loss! We still carry the pain and sadness of her absence from our lives.

February 27, 2010 3:16 PM

Anonymous said...

Thank you for honoring Traci. She is sorely missed. We knew Traci. She was a part of our lives. The sheer devistation has not healed even after 7 years. We are still suffering from the absence of this wonderful person in our lives.

Thank you for leaving these messages but I will never understand why people who are close to Traci Johnson says nothing, keep in silence and don't fight for justice to what was done to this 19 years-old healthy girl who was murdered at Eli-Lilly's facilities after taking Cymbalta and having as side effect drug-induced suicidal ideation. She hanged herself but keep in mind that she was not testing Cymbalta as an antidepressant but as a medicine for urinary incontinence and that she has never had any kind of mental disease since it was one of the requirements to be a volunteer in that clinical trial. Eli-Lilly wanted healthy people for this clinical trial and Traci Johnson was accepted after being examined and classified as not having any kind of mental disease. We are talking about a girl who just volunteered to a clinical trial because her father was jobless and she was going to be paid $ 150 a day.

I don't understand why these people are commenting anonymously and since I started bloging I asked many people if they knew about Traci Johnson's parents, relatives or friends.

If you keep on silent and don't fight for justice like Sara Carlin's parents and others I have to admit that maybe those who claim that Elli Lilly has payed the family to keep silent are right.